Huawei is finally saying goodbye to Google as it is finally sailing away from Android on its devices starting as soon as next week. The company has been working on custom software for its devices called 'HarmonyOS Next,' which will be available for all compatible devices, including those that are already on the market. This means that Huawei will ditch Android for good.
Huawei's HarmonyOS Next to arrive next week on all compatible devices
Huawei has been developing HarmonyOS Next for years now as it planned to move away from Google's Android platform and launch it next week. While there are benefits of the update, we can not deny that the apps are limited at this stage. The company promised that HarmonyOS will support all the essential apps and bring support for more than 10,000 apps, covering “99.9% of consumers’ usage time needs.”
HarmonyOS started as a skin for Android, which it used in the past, and it is now transitioning to a dedicated operating system solely available on Huawei phones and tablets. The company aims to have just as many apps on the platform as Android. According to the South China Morning Post, HarmonyOS Next will launch on compatible phones starting next week as an attempt to move completely away from Google's Android operating system as the base for all tasks.
It was previously indicated that HarmonyOS made up 17 percent of the market share in China in the first quarter of this year, which is a significant number breaking free from Android or iOS. As mentioned, the update will begin rolling out to all compatible devices starting next week. One of the first devices to receive the update includes Mate 60, Mate X5, and MatePad Pro, but there is no word on whether the new Mate XT tri-fold will get the update.
As per the source, Huawei will launch the HarmonyOS Next update on October 15, which is the same day Google will release Android 15 to the general public, based on recent leaks and rumors. It remains to be seen if the company has planned dedicated features for its devices, which the competition is not offering. Additionally, the AI situation is still unknown, and it is unclear how the company would compete against the likes of Android and iOS. We will let you know when the update is available, so do keep an eye out.
